Tie puller



G. E. TAYLOR July 5, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 19, 1964 G. E. TAYLOR July 5, 1966 TIE FULLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 1964 ATTORNEYS July 5, 1966 G. E. TAYLOR 3, 5 ,36

TIE FULLER Filed Nov. 19, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR W i. 7 61 BY 7-Z2- 6M 0 22;

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,259,363 Patented July 5, 1966 3,259,363 TIE PULLER Glenn Edward Taylor, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Bankhead Railway Engineering, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Nov. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 412,562 7 Claims. (Cl. 254-43) This invention relates to the handling of railroad ties or timbers in the process of placing and removing such timbers in the road bed, and more particularly to means capable of placing and removing elongated switch ties.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved portable tie puller of the class described.

The invention in its preferred embodiments contemplates the provision of a power driven mechanical system for pulling ties, particularly elongated ties or timbers used in supporting the complex of rails and switching accessorie such as guard rails, frogs, and the like, the timbers at these points sometimes varying from say nine feet to possibly twenty-two feet in length. Heretofore, such switch ties have been removed and replaced by hand labor with the attendant delay and expense.

The device embodying the principles of the present invention are readily transportable from job to job on the railroad track and are adaptable at the location of the job to be moved about on auxiliary wheel supports, and the actual puller mechanism is capable of being installed and operated in the clear of passing trains, and also without it being necessary to completely remove the ballast from the track bed in replacing the switch tie.

The novel tie puller system preferably includes two separable associated members, namely, a small truck having flanged wheels for travel along the track from one point to another where ties are to be replaced and also with drop wheels preferably having pneumatic tires for travel on the ground alongside of the track for the short distances which may be necessary at the point of operation; and the tie puller device itself which is cradled upon brackets carried by the truck and is readily removable therefrom by the efforts of but two men and installed at the track side with certain portions inserted beneath the adjacent rail and gripped thereto. Then flexible tackle is provided to engage the remote end of the tie and power means is employed to draw the tie in the horizontal direction beneath the rail, the power being preferably furnished by a source carried by the transporting truck.

Novel means are provided for converting the device from a condition for withdrawing ties to a condition appropriate for installing ties, and vice versa.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective or schematic view of a portion of a railroad track bed illustrating the application of a device, embodying the principles of the invention, in removing a tie;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing the device as installed for replacing a tie or timber;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the middle portion of the device;

FIGURE 4 is a view in vertical longitudinal section of the same taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view in transverse vertical ection showing one of the clutches in elevation;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of one of the clutches;

FIGURE 7 is a view in side elevation of the truck upon which the portable tie puller device is transported; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of an adjustable ground wheel mounting for the truck.

It will be noted from a perusal of the following specification that very little adaptations have to be made in order to convert the device from availability as a tie remover to one for reinstalling a tie.

FIGURE 1 illustrates in somewhat schematic form the layout for removing a tie from the track bed.

It should be noted at this point that although the device is eminently adapted for use in pulling elongated timbers or switch ties from the track bed, it is in nowise limited thereto, but can be employed to pull and replace ties of standard length in a straight right-of-way.

The fragmentary showing of the trackage in FIGURE 1 includes the cross ties 10 which support the rails, tie plates, guard rails, frogs, and other component parts of the track and switching system which may be involved. In this figure a single rail is shown at 11 and is supported by the usual tie plates 12 which are secured by conventional spikes suggested at 13.

The particular long tie which is shown in process of being removed from the track bed is given the designation 10A and it will be noted that the tie plate associated with this tie has already been unspiked and removed.

At 15 is illustrated in quite diagrammatic form and in only its essential details, a truck upon which the actual puller device 16 may be mounted for transport and this truck will be described more fully as the specification proceeds.

The tie puller device 16 comprises a bed or platform 18 mounted upon elongated side rails 20, the side rails 20 being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the normal width of .a cross tie. Upon the platform 18 there is mounted the puller mechanism which comprises essentially the hydraulic motor 22, a suitable gear reduction enclosed in the housing 23, and a pair of drums 25 mounted for rotation upon either side of the housing 23.

The pointed ends 27 of the side rails 20 may be readily inserted beneath the rail 11 and the device is moved toward the rail until the stop bar 30 abuts the outer base flange of the rail 11 as indicated in FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings. The portion of the bars 20 which eX- tend inwardly of the rail are each provided with a series of vertical openings or pockets 32 into which pins 35 may be dropped. These pins have curved heads 36 which are adapted to overlie the inner side of the base flange of the rail 11. Thus, the device is securely clamped to the rail my means of the abutment bar 30 and the pair of spaced pins 35.

The carrying and positioning of the device 16 may be readily accomplished by two workmen employing the handle bars 37 rigidly secured upon each side of the device.

A looped cable 40 has its bight portion trained around the cap 42 which may be abutted upon or secured to the inward end of the cross tie 10A to be pulled. The respective ends of the cable 40 are secured to and trained around the pulleys or drums 25, the greater portion of the cable 40 being maintained at a level below that of the rail 11 by means of the guide rollers 45.

Although other types of motors and other types of power sources may be employed within the broader aspects of the invention, in the illustrative embodiment the motor 22 is a hydraulic motor powered from a hydraulic pump installation suggested at 50 in FIGURE 1, this pump being mounted upon one end of the transport truck 15. The pump 50 and the motor 22 are connected by means of the pressure hose lines 52.

One effective arrangement for transmitting power to the pulling cable 40 as actuated by the drums 25, is

shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawings where the power is transmitted or disconnected by means of certain jaw clutch devices. The drums are mounted freely on a drive shaft which projects from the transmission gearing box 23. The pulleys 25 carry rigidly one jaw member 56 of the clutch assembly whilst the other jaw member 57 is keyed or splined to the shaft 55 as suggested at 58. Clutch actuating arms or levers 60 have their lower ends pivoted at 61 to a bracket 62 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent side bar or rail 20. At an intermediate point the lever 60- is bifurcated to form a loop 63 which carries the trunnion elements 64 which in turn pivotally support the ring 65 which surrounds a hub on the jaw member 57 and is disposed between the flanges 66 and c7 of the clutch jaw element, all whereby axial movement of the element 65 by manipulation of the lever 60 will cause the clutch jaw 57 to be moved into and out of clutching relationship with the drum carried jaw 56.

Thus, upon engaging the jaw clutches the drums 25 will exert strong pulling force on the cable 40 which is trained in this case beneath the rollers 45 and the tie 10A will be withdrawn from the track structure without significant disturbance of the ballast and without interfering with traflic along the rails 11.

In FIGURE 2 of the drawings the device 16 is shown set up to apply a switch tie 1013 to the track. In this case, as in almost all situations, the right-of-way slopes downwardly from the track and road bed, and a supporting scaffolding 70 may be employed. This scaffolding may take the form of a trestle comprising the quadrangular base 71, the vertical posts 72, and the inclined struts 73.

The outer faces of the posts 72 may be supplied with notched strips 75 forming a series of rests 76 for the selective positioning of the trunnions 77 carried at the ends of the roller 78 upon which the near end portion of the tie 10 may be supported during its installation.

In this instance, the cables 40 are trained over and down and back beneath the rollers 45, and the bight of the cable 40 is placed around the cap 42 which, in this instance, is applied to the rearwardly projecting end of the tie 10B.

Upon the forward end of the tie 10B there may be mounted a nose piece 80 which is preferably provided with a sharp vertical forward edge 81 and downwardly and forwardly inclined ledges 82. This provision facilitates the passage of the blunt end of the tie 10B through whatever ballast there remains along the position of the tie after the previous tie has been withdrawn.

Of course, the device 16 is clamped to the rail 11 in the same manner as described in connection with FIG- URE 1 of the drawings.

The V-shaped bar indicated at 85 as being secured to the side pieces 20 is for the purpose of diverting and clearing ballast from the top of the tie 10A as it is being removed and to prevent it from interfering with the cable 40 and rollers 45 or other portions of the mechamsm.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 7 and 8 of the drawings, it will be seen that the truck 15 comprises a rectangular framework comprising the side bars as suggested in the drawings. Each of these side bars may be provided with brackets 91 upon which the device 16 may be carried. The truck carries a hydraulic fluid tank 94 and behind the tank in a position suggested somewhat diagrammatically in FIGURE 1, there is disposed the hydraulic pump 95 driven preferably by an internal combustion engine, a shaft of which is indicated at 96. A fuel tank 97 is provided and conventional hose connections .are supplied between the pump, the tank 91, and including the lines indicated at 52 in FIGURE 1.

For travel from one point to another along the track where ties need to be replaced, the truck is provided with flanged wheels 100 which are rotatably mounted within the brackets 101 and which are adapted to run along the rails 11 of the right-of-way.

When the truck and tie puller have arrived adjacent the point of operation, the truck 15 and its burden have to be moved for shoft distances along the ground beside the track. To permit this, an auxiliary ground wheel 105 is provided. This wheel may be penumatic tired and mounted upon a stub axle 106 which is in turn carried by a vertically adjustable block 108 to which a handle 109 may be aflixed. A mounting bracket 110 is fixed to one of the side rails 90 and this bracket is provided with a slot 111 within which the axle may be adjusted. A spring-pressed hand-operated pin 112 is carried by the mounting bracket 110 and is adapted to be projected into alternative openings in the edge of the block 108 to hold the wheel 105 in the proper vertically adjustable position. Of course, when the truck 15 is mounted upon the rails for travel from one station to another the wheel 105 is retracted from the broken line position of FIGURE 7, where it is resting upon the end of a cross tie, to the solid line position where it is clear of the track bed.

It is to be noted that the pointed ends of the side rails 20 of the machine 16 are divergently positioned so as to prevent the bar from digging into the switch tie as it is being removed.

It is understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as determined by the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the vinvention, What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Railroad tie handling equipment comprising a transporting truck having flanged wheels for running on standard gauge railroad tracks to and from points where ties are to be handled, a power operated tie puller device carried by but removable from said truck, extensions on said device projectable beneath the rails of a track alongside the position of a tie to be moved, a cable, means for attaching said cable to an end of the tie to be moved, means on said device for guiding the tie-attached portions of the cable to move at a level below the adjacent rail of the track, whereby the tie may be handled in its track position without interfering with traflic, and means on said device for winding said cable to pull the tie; power generating means on said truck, motor means on said device, and power transmission means from said generator means to said motor means; and means for controlling said power generating means and means for clutching and de-clutching said winding means with respect to said motor means; and supplemental ground-engaging wheels on said truck and means for raising and lowering said supplemental wheels for alternative transport of said truck on the ground adjacent the track at the point of handling of said ties.

2. Railroad tie handling equipment comprising a transporting truck having flanged wheels for running on standard gauge railroad tracks to and from points where ties are to be handled, a power operated tie puller device carried by but removable from said truck to be placed alongside the position of a tie to be moved, a cable, means for attaching said cable to an end of the tie to be moved, and means on said device for winding said cable to pull the tie; power generating means on said truck, motor means on said device, and power transmission means from said generating means to said motor means; and means for controlling said power generating means and means for clutching and de-clutching said winding means with respect to said motor means.

3. A cross tie handling device for the removal and replacement of ties with respect to the railroad track, said device comprising a platform, at least one extension bar projecting horizontally from said platform and adapted to be inserted beneath one of the track rails and adjacent to the tie to be moved, an albutment fixed with respect to said platform and adapted to contact an outer portion of said rail exclusive of the head thereof, at least one vertical socket in said bar in that portion thereof which protrudes inwardly of said rail, and a drop pin adapted to be inserted in said socket and to abut an inward portion of said rail exclusive of said head to fixedly position the device with respect to said rail, a cable, means for securing said cable to the tie to be moved, and Winding means on said platform for exerting pull on said cable, no portion of the device adjacent the track extending upwardly beyond the heads of the rails.

4. The device as set forth in claim 3 in which two parallel extension bars are provided adapted to embrace the tie and having pointed ends to facilitate the penetrating of ballast; the pointed ends flaring outwardly in opposite directions from the sides of the tie to prevent snagging of the 'bars on the tie during installation or operation.

5. A cross tie handling device comprising, in combination, a platform, means extending from said platform beneath at least one of the rails of said railroad track, means for bracing said platform for fixed positioning with respect to an adjacent rail base but clear of the rail head, a cable, means for attaching a portion of said cable to either end of a tie to be moved, winding means on said platform adapted to exert pull on the cable in a direction away from said track, at least one roller on said platform at the approximate level of the base of the adjacent track rail and between said winding means and the track rail, whereby passing the cable under said roller and beneath the rail and forwardly to connect with a tie end which is located at the opposite side of the track from the winding means permits removal of said tie, and passing the cable over and backwardly beneath said roller to connect with the remote end of a new tie to be installed permits the placement of the tie beneath the rail and without interference with traflic along said track, a nose cap applied to the advancing forward end of the tie, said cap being pointed and streamlined to more readily penetrate the ballast; and an adjustable stand for supfixed positioning with respect to at least one 6 porting the remote end of the tie while it is being installed and while said rear end is suspended albove trackside ground level.

6. The device as set forth in claim 5 in which said stand is provided with laterally spaced brackets each having a series of notches therein, and a rotatable tie supporting roller having trunnions selectively positioned in corresponding notches of each bracket.

7. A cross tie handling device comprising, in combination, a platform, means for bracing said platform for of the rails of a railroad track, a cable, means for attaching a portion of said cable to either end of a tie to be moved, winding means on said platform adapted to exert pull on the cable in a direction away from said track, at least one roller on said platform at the approximate level of the base of the adjacent track rail and between said winding means and the track rail, whereby passing the cable under said roller and forwardly to connect with a tie end which is located at the opposite side of the track from the winding means permits removal of said tie, and an angularly disposed blade member carried by said device between said roller and the rail for diverting any ballast from said roller and winding means which might be carried toward hem by the movement of the tie being handled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,647 1/1912 Smith 25443 1,186,002 6/1916 Jones 104-9 1,466,851 9/1923 Owen 1049 1,555,194- 9/1925 Everett 104-12 1,585,154 5/1926 Kimble et al. 25443 1,985,768 12/1934 Drake 25443 2,133,851 10/1938 Denton 254-43 2,923,253 2/1960 Geier et al. 1049 2,989,926 6/1961 Sublett et al. 25443 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. RAILROAD TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A TRANSPORTING TRUCK HAVING FLANGED WHEELS FOR RUNNING ON STANDARD GAUGE RAILROAD TRACKS TO END FORM POINTS WHERE TIES ARE TO BE HANDLED, A POWER OPERATED TIE PULLER DEVICE CARRIED BY BUT REMOVABLE FROM SAID TRUCK, EXTENSIONS ON SAID DEVICE PROJECTABLE BENEATH THE RAILS OF A TRACK ALONGSIDE THE POSITION OF A TIE TO BE MOVED, A CABLE, MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID CABLE TO AN END OF THE TIE TO BE MOVED, MEANS ON SAID DEVICE FOR GUIDING THE TIE-ATTACHED PORTIONS OF THE CABLE TO MOVE AT A LEVEL BELOW THE ADJACENT RAIL OF THE TRACK, WHEREBY THE TIE MAY BE HANDLED IN ITS TRACK POSITION WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH TRAFFIC, AND MEANS ON SAID DEVICE FOR WINDING SAID CABLE TO PULL THE TIE; POWER GENERATING MEANS ON SAID TRUCK, MOTOR MEANS ON SAID DEVICE, AND POWER TRANSMISSION MEANS FROM SAID GENERATOR MEANS TO SAID MOTOR MEANS; AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID POWER GENERATING MEANS AND MEANS FOR CLUTCHING SAID DE-CLUTCHING SAID WINDING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO SAID MOTOR MEANS; AND SUPPLEMENTAL GROUND-ENGAGING WHEELS ON SAID TRUCK AND MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID SUPPLEMENTAL WHEELS FOR ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT OF SAID TRUCK ON THE GROUND ADJACENT THE TRACK AT THE POINT OF HANDLING OF SAID TIES. 